I purchased this for the expandability and That does appear to be a strength. In order to mount it on the bike, you must first completely unzip and remove a piece from the botttom of the bag, that must then either be left at home or packed in the bag. There are a pair ofd flaps that will lay down on each side of the seat or rack but appear to have no use, since the attachment system is underneath these flaps so they don't really serve to protect the bike's paint job. Next is a VERY LONG pair of hook and loop straps and under that, two bungie cords. The drill is to place the bag on the seat or rack and run the LONG hook strap under and attach it to the LONG loop strap on the other side. Then attach the 4 bungie cord hooks to the bike.

The directions tell you to remove the seat before attaching the hook and loop straps and then reattach the seat before using the bungies. On my bike the seat is hinged on one side, and it is very difficult to get the hook and loop straps properly attached (tight enough and with the bag centered), especially if the bag is already packed. I guess the bag would work well if you were using it for commuting and planned on leaving the bag on the bike, but if you plan to take it off the bike, and carry it with you, it's a real pain to remove and install.

Once the bag is off, there's those long straps and bungie cords and flaps to deal with. If you took the zip-on bottom, you can always re-attach that, but, it will take you a minute or more, and if the bag is full, it's really awkward.

The bag comes with a removable rain cover, and it appears to be tall enough to cover the bag even when it's expanded. However, the cover is TOO NARROW TO FIT if you've used the expandable side pockets.

There are two straps to help keep the top of the bag closed and releive stress on the zipper if the bag is fully packed. Because of the expandable top, these straps are very long. So, if you are not using the expandable feature, you have to figure out something to do with the extra length, or let them blow around in the breeze.

There are numerous rings sewn on to the bag some of which could be useful for strapping down additional articles, however, some of the rings (like the 4 on the side "flaps" appear to be useless, unless you use them in some clever way to help atttach the bag to the bike.

There are shoulder straps that fit into a compartment on the back of the bag that would probably take you 2 or 3 minutes to set up so you could carry the bag as a back pack. The upper and lower parts of these straps must be separated for storage, the upper parts tucking into the top of the pouch and the lower parts being threaded into holes in the bottom of the pouch. The bottom straps are very long, and I worry about what might happen if one of those straps came loose and got wrapped up in the rear wheel.

In summary, the bag probably works best for someone who has variable size loads to carry, doesn't need to take the bag on and off the bike very often, doesn't ride in the rain with the side compartments fully loaded, and either doesn't mind having long straps blowing around in the breeze or takes the time to make sure the straps are well secured.

Use this is a Suzuki DR stock rear rack. Fits Great. The built-in elastic cords on the bottom are GREAT but I had to tie a not in each of them to shorten/tighten them. Fit a weekend worth of gear, camping kit included, in this bag with a drybag lashed to the D-rings on top. LOVE this bag. Perfect shape and size for me. The rectangular bag is exactly what I needed and the expansion makes it fit a lot of stuff without being unnecessarily bulky when just hauling raingear, etc. The Sedici lifetime warranty is just icing on the cake for me. This bag will last a lifetime one way or another.

I bought this tail bag so I wouldn't have to use a back pack while commuting to work. It has worked flawlessly for that. With the size the bag expands to you can really pack a surprising amount into it.

Love this bag! It fits perfectly on my small rack and has everything I need to attach it. I was surprised by the built in bungee cords attached to the bottom of the bag. They go through my rack and attach to the D rings perfectly and securely. It was everything I was looking for. AND a lifetime guarantee?! What a bag!

Fantastic tail bag. I recently took it on a 200 mile round trip through the twisties. The bag itself is trifunctional. It can be used as a tail bag, messenger bag style, or even carried on your back. I'm still finding things I didn't even know it could do. The main pouch comes with a divider and alos expandes two about twice the size. There is a zipper pouch on the lid that I store my divider and bottom piece. Then there's the front pocket with two individual pockets. Spacious. From there, the two other pockets, which I just found out they expand twince their size as well. The construction is solid, but only time will tell. It's a fantastic bag and well worth the money from the tail bag I once had. Sedici makes top notch products with lifetime construction warranty.

I purchased this bag after extensive searching at retail stores and on line for something to replace the back pack which I had been using while riding my motorcycle which is my only form of transportation. So when I go to the store to buy groceries I would stuff them in my back pack and that was annoying. This bag now sits on the rear seat of my '03 suzuki marauder and it fastens quite securely. Although the manufacturer recommends only putting 5lbs in the bag I can attest that I have put much more. Buy this bag and you will not be disappointed.

Being that my car is no longer in working order, my motorcycle has become my main form of transportation. My daily commute is a round trip of 8 miles, so honestly, I haven't used this bag all that much. For my daily life my backpack is more than sufficient.

That being said, I am currently a Navy reservist out of SD who lives in Orange County. So for 1 weekend a month I use this bag to store all the stuff I need when I go down there. I have used this two months so far and have been satisfied with the results.

I love that the bag is expandable. I thought it would effect the center of balance with the bag fully expanded, but it surprisingly didn't make any difference. The 2 expandable side pockets and the center pocket have been awesome as well. The bag comes with a lifetime warranty and a free cover for inclement whether, which works awesome by the way. I really can't think of anything to gripe about besides the fact that the bungee cords for securing are a little too short. I'm still able to secure it, but it definitely takes some elbow grease.

For what I need it for, I love this bag. It's great for holding stuff when my backpack won't suffice, but with that said, it's definitely not a suitcase, so I wouldn't recommend it if you need serious storage space.

This is a great tail bag! I rate it a 10+. Has lots of storage room and when it expands it can even hold a full size Helmet! Perfect for camping and traveling with side pockets for more storage and expandable. One of the zippers broke after I had it over a year and Cycle Gear replaced the whole bag . Now that's what I call outstanding customer service. At least here in Sacramento!